Lead bait debate thriving, from Portsmouth to Hawaii

I received the following e-mail from Perry Cabot, who is a program specialist, lead risk assessor at Multnomah County Health Department in Environmental Health. The company is located in Portland, Ore.

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By Wayne Hooper

seacoastonline.com

By Wayne Hooper

Posted Jan. 27, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Wayne Hooper
Posted Jan. 27, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

I received the following e-mail from Perry Cabot, who is a program specialist, lead risk assessor at Multnomah County Health Department in Environmental Health. The company is located in Portland, Ore.

He stated that: "The best course of action, and the one that makes the most sense from a human and wildlife safety standpoint, is to phase out the use of lead wherever possible. Lead is a persistent neurotoxin and alternatives for its use in many areas exist and will not represent a hardship for the average angler or hunter.

"I don't have research at my fingertips about the possible downsides to the 'green' lures, but I doubt wildlife agencies would be promoting them over lead unless they were known to be a much safer option.

"Loons will eat lures with hooks still attached (He sent me a link with an X-ray of a Loon with a hook in it's stomach).

"The key is to stop the actions that deposit lead at the bottoms of our rivers and lakes, as well as to end the use of lead in other applications that lead to high mortality in eagles and condors, as well. If hunters and fishermen are truly the wildlife stewards that so many profess to be, they should be the ones leading the charge here. They must educate themselves and take the lead (out)."

Thank you Perry, for the informative e-mail.

nnn

I received another e-mail from Jim Oliver, who is a Portsmouth resident, and stated, "I have been reading your articles about the lead ban with interest. I have a friend in Hawaii who makes lures using high-tech ceramic for the bodies. The sizes range from 1/4 oz. to 5 oz. and come in all shapes and sizes for fresh and salt water. The lures aren't cheap but I believe they come with a lifetime warranty.

"Check out the link and you'll get an idea of his work. I have a few of his lures and the quality is excellent. Thanks for your time."

My reply: "Thank you for your e-mail regarding my column. I checked your friend's website and found the lures to be extremely interesting. I have begun showing them to my fishing buddies and they all like the lifetime guarantee. The colors are bright and I assume will never fade because of being ceramic. Even if they do, it should take a long time to happen."

We continued to e-mail each other and, last Tuesday, I met him at the Serenity Café in Rye, by the roundabout. Over coffee, we talked about the lures, his friend who makes them, his friend's business in Hawaii, that all the lures are tested in the stream that runs by his friend's land, and the incredible fact that they test these lures by dropping them from about six feet down onto a concrete floor over and over and they don't break.

However, he said, the concrete will chip away.

He brought eight different lures in the available sizes, weights and colors with him, and insisted that I take four of them home to try once the ice goes out.

We had a great time and promised each other that we would go fishing this spring to test out these lures. I love this job!

Check out this link — www.markwhitelures.com. If nothing else, you'll love the pictures of Hawaii.

I plan on giving a couple of these a try. Hopefully, I will catch enough fish to be able to write a column on them.

nnn

Ice fishing in Maine and New Hampshire has been hot for some species such as white perch, togue and northern pike.

According to Master Maine Guide Tim Moore (Tim Moore Outdoors), he fished Lake Winnipesaukee with some clients over the weekend and got into the big white perch in numbers. They were jigging with small pieces of cut bait using small, lead-free jigs and the perch were just there waiting for the next drop. It was fantastic.

Tim works at Suds and Soda in Greenland, N.H., and listens to all of the fishermen who buy live bait and lures from him. He is in the know — so to speak — so drop in or give him a call for the latest info on where they are biting and what they are biting.

Wayne Hooper is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and a lifelong Seacoast resident. He can be reached at sports@seacoastonline.com.